Lecture 1
Lectio 1
The scourging and crowning
Flagellatio et coronatio
19:1 Then therefore, Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. [n. 2372]
19:1 Tunc ergo apprehendit Pilatus Iesum et flagellavit. [n. 2372]
19:2 And the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns, put it on his head; and they put a purple garment on him. [n. 2375]
19:2 Et milites plectentes coronam de spinis imposuerunt capiti eius, et veste purpurea circumdederunt eum; [n. 2375]
19:3 And they came to him, and said: hail, king of the Jews; and they struck him. [n. 2377]
19:3 et veniebant ad eum et dicebant: ave, rex Iudaeorum: et dabant ei alapas. [n. 2377]
2371. Above, the Evangelist gave us an account of what Christ suffered from the Jews; here he describes what in particular he endured from the Gentiles. He suffered three things, as he had predicted: they will deliver him to the Gentiles, to be mocked and scourged and crucified (Matt 20:19).
2371. Supra prosecutus est Evangelista de his quae Christus passus est a Iudaeis; hic prosequitur de his quae specialiter passus est a Gentilibus: a quibus quidem tria passus est, secundum quod ipse praedixerat, Matth. xx, 18 s., et Lc. XVIII, v. 32: tradetur enim Gentibus ad illudendum et flagellandum et crucifigendum etc.
First, he deals with the scourging of Christ;
Primo ergo Evangelista agit de Christi flagellatione;
second, with his mockery: and the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns, put it on his head;
secundo de eius illusione, ibi et milites plectentes coronam de spinis, imposuerunt capiti eius;
and third, with his crucifixion: Pilate therefore went out again, and said to them: behold, I am bringing him out to you (John 19:4).
tertio de eius crucifixione, ibi exivit iterum Pilatus etc.
2372. He says, then, after all their shouting, Pilate took Jesus and scourged him, not with his own hands, but using his soldiers. He did this hoping that the Jews would be satisfied with these wounds and be softened so as no longer to demand his death.
2372. Dicit ergo tunc ergo, idest post clamorem omnium, apprehendit Pilatus Iesum et flagellavit, non quidem propriis manibus, sed per milites: et hoc ideo ut Iudaei satiati eius iniuriis, mitigarentur et usque ad eius mortem saevire desisterent.
For it is natural for our anger to subside if we see the one we are angry at humiliated and punished, as the Philosopher says in his Rhetoric. This is true of that anger which seeks to inflict a limited amount of harm; but this is not the case with that hatred which seeks the entire destruction of the one hated: an enemy . . . if he finds an opportunity his thirst for blood will be insatiable (Sir 12:16). Now the Jews hated Christ, and so his scourging did not satisfy them: all the day long I have been scourged (Ps 73:14); I gave my back to the smiters (Isa 50:6).
Naturale est enim ut ira quiescat, si videat eum contra quem irascitur, humiliatum et punitum, ut dicit Philosophus in Rhetorica. Quod quidem verum est in ira quae quaerit nocumentum proximi cum mensura, sed non in odio, quod totaliter quaerit exitium eius qui habetur odio. Eccli. XII, 16: inimicus si invenerit tempus, non satiabitur sanguine. Isti autem ex odio movebantur ad Christum, et ideo flagellatio non sufficiebat. Ps. LXXII, 14: fui flagellatus tota die; Is. l, 6: dedi corpus meum percutientibus.
2373. Does this intention excuse Pilate for the scourging?
2373. Sed numquid haec intentio Pilatum excusat a flagellatione?
It does not; because of all those things which are evil in themselves, none can be made totally good by a good intention. Now to harm an innocent person, and especially the Son of God, is in the highest degree an evil in itself. Consequently, it cannot be excused by any intention.
Non quidem, quia in omnibus quae sunt per se mala, nullum eorum potest fieri totaliter bonum per bonam intentionem: affligere autem innocentem, et praecipue Dei Filium, est maxime per se malum; et ideo nulla intentione excusari potest.
2374. Now the Evangelist shows us Christ being ridiculed:
2374. Hic agitur de illusione, et
first, the mock honors paid to him;
primo quantum ad falsos honores quos ei exhibuerunt;
second, the real dishonor showed him, and struck him.
secundo quantum ad vera opprobria quae ei intulerunt, ibi et dabant ei alapas etc.
They pay him mock honors by calling him a king, thus adverting to the charge lodged by the Jews, who said that he made himself king of the Jews. Therefore, they pay him the three honors given to a king, but in a derisive way.
Exhibebant autem ei falsos honores, vocantes eum regem: per quod alludebant accusationi Iudaeorum, qui dicebant quod ipse faciebat se regem Iudaeorum. Et ideo triplicem honorem regis sibi exhibebant, sed falsum.
First, we have a mock crown;
Primo quidem quantum ad illusoriam coronam;
and then mock clothing
secundo quantum ad illusoriam vestem;
and mock acclamations.
tertio quantum ad illusoriam salutationem.
2375. They mock him with a crown, because it is customary for kings to wear a crown of gold: a crown of gold upon his head (Sir 45:12). The Psalm mentions this: thou dost set a crown of fine gold upon his head (Ps 21:3). And the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns, put it on his head, the head of him who is a crown of glory to those who belong to him: in that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people (Isa 28:5). It was fittingly made of thorns, because by them he removes the thorns of sin, which pain us through remorse of conscience: break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns (Jer 4:3). These thorns also take away the thorns of punishment which burden us: thorns and thistles it will bring forth to you (Gen 3:18).
2375. Illudunt ergo ei quantum ad coronam, quia reges consueverunt auro coronari; Eccli. XLV, 14: corona aurea super caput eius. Unde et de eo in Ps. XX, 4 dicitur: posuisti in capite eius coronam de lapide pretioso. Sed milites plectentes coronam de spinis, imposuerunt super caput eius, illius scilicet qui suis est corona gloriae. Is. XXVIII, 15: in die illa erit Dominus exercituum corona gloriae et sceptrum exaltationis residuo populi sui. Et convenienter de spinis: quia per eas removit spinas peccatorum, quae pungunt remorsu conscientiae: Ier. IV, 3: novate vobis novale, et nolite serere super spinas: et spinas poenalitatum quae affligunt; Gen. III, 18: spinas et tribulos germinabit tibi etc.
Was this crowning done by the governor’s order? Chrysostom says that it was not, but that the soldiers were bribed with money and did this to satisfy the Jews. On the other hand, Augustine says that this was done by the command or the permission of the governor, so that the hatred of the Jews would be satiated and Pilate could more easily release Jesus.
Sed numquid hoc factum est mandato praesidis? Chrysostomus dicit, quod non; sed milites pecunia corrupti hoc ad gratiam Iudaicam faciebant. Augustinus autem dicit hoc esse factum mandato vel permissione praesidis, ut scilicet magis Iudaeorum odia saturarentur, et facilius eum eriperet.
2376. Second, they mock him with clothing. The soldiers . . . put a purple garment on him, which was the sign of a royal dignity for the Romans. In Maccabees we read that when the Romans ruled they wore a crown and were clothed in purple (1 Macc 8:14). This clothing of Christ in purple fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah: why is your apparel red, and your garments like his that treads in the wine press? (Isa 63:2)
2376. Secundo illudunt ei quantum ad vestem, unde sequitur et veste purpurea circumdederunt eum, quae erat indicium regiae dignitatis apud Romanos. Unde I Mach. VIII, v. 14, dicitur, quod tempore illo quando Romani consules dominabantur, corona aut purpura utebantur. Per hoc autem quod purpura circumdederunt eum, impletur illud Is. c. LXIII, 2: quare ergo rubrum est vestimentum tuum; et vestimenta tua sicut calcantium in torculari?
At the same time it indicates the sufferings of the martyrs, which stains red the entire body of Christ, that is, the Church.
Simul autem et per hoc significatur passio martyrum, qua totum corpus Christi, idest Ecclesia, rubricatur.
2377. Third, they mock him in the way they address him. They came up to him, saying: hail, king of the Jews! It was the custom then, as it is now, for subjects to salute their king when they came into his presence: and when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom: long live the king! Long live the king! (2 Sam 16:16).
2377. Tertio illudunt ei quantum ad salutationem; unde venientes ad eum dicebant ave, rex Iudaeorum. Consuetudo autem tunc erat, sicut et modo est, ut homines euntes ad regem, eum salutarent. II Reg. XVI, v. 16: Chusi vadens ad Absalonem, dixit: salve, rex, salve rex.
As for the mystical interpretation, those greet Christ mockingly who profess him with words but deny him with their deeds (Titus 1:16). Not everyone that says to me Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 7:21).
Mystice autem illi illusorie Christum salutant qui eum confitentur ore, factis autem negant, Tit. I, 16. Matth. VII, 21: non omnis qui dicit mihi, Domine, Domine, intrabit in regnum caelorum.
2378. Now he mentions the real dishonor shown to Christ, and struck him, in order to show that the honor they gave him was in mockery: I gave my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard (Isa 50:6); with a rod they strike upon the cheek the ruler of Israel (Mic 5:1).
2378. Consequenter opprobria quae ei intulerunt dicit et dabant ei alapas: et hoc ideo, ut ipso opere ostenderent illusorium esse quod ei talem honorem exhibebant. Is. c. l, 6: genas meas dedi vellentibus; Mich. c. V, 1: percusserunt maxillam principis Israel.
Lecture 2
Lectio 2
Jews call for crucifixion
Judaei pro crucifixione clamant
19:4 Pilate therefore went out again, and said to them: behold, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no cause in him. [n. 2380]
19:4 Exivit ergo iterum Pilatus foras, et dixit eis: ecce adduco eum vobis foras, ut cognoscatis quia nullam invenio in eo causam. [n. 2380]
19:5 (Jesus therefore came out, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment.) And he said to them: behold the man. [n. 2381]
19:5 Exivit ergo Iesus portans spineam coronam, et purpureum vestimentum. Et dixit eis, ecce homo. [n. 2381]
19:6 When the chief priests, therefore, and the servants, had seen him, they cried out, saying: crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said to them: take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no cause in him. [n. 2383]
19:6 Cum ergo vidissent eum Pontifices, et ministri, clamabant, dicentes: crucifige, crucifige eum. Dixit eis Pilatus: accipite eum vos, et crucifigite: ego enim non invenio in eo causam. [n. 2383]
19:7 The Jews answered him: we have a law; and according to the law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. [n. 2386]
19:7 Responderunt ei Iudaei: nos legem habemus, et secundum legem debet mori quia Filium Dei se fecit. [n. 2386]
19:8 When Pilate therefore had heard this saying, he feared all the more. [n. 2388]
19:8 Cum ergo audisset Pilatus hunc sermonem, magis timuit. [n. 2388]
19:9 And he entered the praetorium again, and he said to Jesus: where are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer. [n. 2389]
19:9 Et ingressus est praetorium iterum et dixit ad Iesum: unde es tu? Iesus autem responsum non dedit ei. [n. 2389]
19:10 Pilate therefore said to him: do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to crucify you and I have power to release you? [n. 2392]
19:10 Dixit ergo ei Pilatus: mihi non loqueris? Nescis quia potestatem habeo crucifigere te, et potestatem habeo dimittere te? [n. 2392]